Port of Friday Harbor Commission Meeting
4 p.m. Jan. 11, 2006
at San Juan Island Yacht Club
Swearing in of Barbara
Marrett as Commissioner for District #2
1. Approve minutes of previous meeting(s). (Note: Minutes are kept at the Port Office and the
San Juan Island Library.)
2. Citizen comments/requests: For items not on the agenda, citizens can
make a brief presentation and ask the Commission to schedule a topic for
discussion at a future meeting.
3.Committee reports and facility maintenance report:
Maintenance report: Approve bull rail fabrication project for breakwater.
4. Consent agenda:
5. Commission Action Issues:
A. Approve signs for Airport Terminal Building
a. Placing Roy Franklin’s name on terminal
B. Resolution regarding 2006 health insurance
and 125 Fund
a. Contribute a portion of savings into cafeteria plan
account
6. Commission Discussion items:
A. Discussion
of Airport Master Plan
a. Capital Improvement List
b. Meetings
B. Request to renew SSL lease
a. Request from Drew Schmidt
C. Discussion of Port
Commission Planning Retreat
a. Discussion of time and format
8. Staff Reports:
A. Auditor:
Financial
Reports
Town
Council findings regarding floating restroom
B.
Airport Operations Manager
Wind sock replacement, rotating beacon next
Old Terminal glass replacement
Near miss
Contract tower investigation
C. Harbormaster/Marina
Report:
Liveaboard
meeting
Security
grant – video monitoring
Pump-out boat
progress
D. Port Director:
Marine
Resources Committee anniversary celebration
Roy Franklin Aviation History exhibit (SJI Historical Museum)
9. Capital Improvement/Acquisition Project
Approvals:
10. Commissioners' reports, comments,
correspondence and requests:
11. Agenda items pending future action: Renewal
of San Juan Canvas lease; Concession
agreement, Fuel Pier
12. Approve and sign warrants
13. Executive
sessions:
Adjourn
The Prime
Directive (mission) of the Port of Friday Harbor: "To maintain a healthy economy with
family wage jobs, while causing the least possible harm to the social and
natural environments of the island."
The Port of
Friday Harbor is:
* a public corporation
organized under the Revised Code of Washington
(RCW)
by the citizens of San Juan Island,
* operated in the manner of a private business,
* directed by a three-member board elected by district
voters,
*
capitalized by returns from operating revenue, revenue bonds, grants, and local
property taxes,
*
and managed for the economic benefit of the citizens
of the Friday Harbor Port District.
PORT COMMISSIONER OATH OF OFFICE
I . . .
. . (State Your Name) . . . . . . . .
DO
SOLEMNLY SWEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THAT I
WILL FAITHFULLY AND IMPARTIALLY . . . .
DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF PORT OF FRIDAY HARBOR
COMMISSIONER . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .
AS
PRESCRIBED BY LAW AND TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . .
AND THAT
I WILL SUPPORT AND MAINTAIN . . . . . .
THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON AND OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . . . . . . . .
SO HELP ME GOD. (Last Phrase is
Optional)
Agenda
Item 5 A. Approve signs for Airport Terminal Building
a. Placing Roy Franklin’s name on terminal
By: Steve
Simpson / Marilyn O’Connor
Background: The Port Commission
approved naming the airport terminal after Roy Franklin last summer. The Commission specified the wording for the
sign on each side of the building. Since
then the Port has entertained a number of different proposals for signing the
terminal and has designed an airport logo using Roy Franklin’s Gull Wing
Stinson as the image that represents the airport.
This fall we
asked Mitzi Johnson to review the proposals and work on a sign design for the
terminal. Mitzi worked with staff and
Commissioner elect Barbara Marrett to come up with the attached design.
Recommendation: Staff recommend the
Port Commission approve the sign design for the airport terminal building.
Motion: I
move the Port Commission approve the sign design as presented to the Commission
and authorize staff to contract to have the signs fabricated and installed on
the terminal building.
 East
side
 West side view
Agenda Item 5 B. Resolution regarding 2006 health insurance
and 125 Fund
a. Contribute a portion of savings into cafeteria plan
account.
By: Marilyn O’Connor
Background: At the
previous Port Commission meeting, we reviewed a change in the health insurance
program for 2006. By selecting a
different contract with the insurer, the Port is able to save $13,575 in premium
costs. This savings is based on the
participants paying a higher percentage of medical costs out of their pockets
(20% as compared to 10% on the previous program.)
The
commission requested that we interview staff members about the effects of this
change. Many people will not be
affected, as the co-pay does not apply to well care benefits. The maximum amount payable by participant
will not change, so anyone who incurs a lot of expenses will pay a maximum of
$2,500 in co-pays during the year.
Because
the Port is saving money on insurance by passing some of the expense to the employees, staff
recommends that the Port share the savings by contributing a flat sum into each
participants Cafeteria Benefits Plan/ Medical Reimbursement Account. This account is used to pay deductibles,
co-pays and other medical expenses, and most employees already participate in
this program through payroll deductions.
If
the Port contributes $15 per qualified employee per payroll, the benefit to
each employee will be $360 to use toward medical expenses. This represents roughly half the Port’s
premium savings.
Recommended motion: I move the
Port Commission approve resolution #06-001 which
authorizes making a payment to each employee who receives medical insurance
from the Port, to the 125 fund cafeteria plan for use for qualified medical
expenses.
Friday
Harbor Port District
Resolution #06-001
Payment to Employee’s 125 Cafeteria Fund
January 11, 2006
WHEREAS the Port of Friday Harbor provides a health insurance
program for qualified port employees, and
WHEREAS a health insurance policy is available to the Port
District for 2006 results in a savings to the Port but with a change in the
deductible portion of the coverage which must be assumed by employees, and
WHEREAS the Port District maintains a 125 Cafeteria Plan Fund
which both the Port and employees can make deposits which can be later used for
certain qualified medical expenses which include health care expenses which are
not covered by medical insurance,and
WHEREAS Port employees were consulted about the proposed
renewal of the health insurance program and have no objection to changing
coverage under the condition that the Port District shares a portion of the
savings achieved through this new policy be shared with employees to help
compensate for uninsured medical expenses, and
WHEREAS the estimated savings from the Port’s 2005 health
insurance and the Port’s 2006 proposed medical insurance policy is $13,575
which amounts to $714 per participant.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED to authorize the Port Auditor and the County Treasurer to include as part of the bi-monthly payroll
expense a payment of $15.00 (fifteen dollars and no cents) into each employee’s
125 cafeteria fund account for the purpose of compensating employees for
uninsured medical expenses.
_______________________ _____________________________
Greg
Hertel, Commissioner Barbara
Marrett, Commissioner
________________________ _________________________
Mike
Ahrenius, Commissioner Date
________________________ _________________________
Steve
Simpson, Port Director Marilyn O’Connor, Port Auditor
Agenda Item 6 A.
Discussion of Airport Master Plan
a. Capital Improvement List
b. Meetings
By: Steve Simpson
Background: Attached is Friday Harbor Airport Master Plan
Working Paper #4 which contains the description of developments for each
element of the airport and seaplane base.
It also lists the airport development plan projects for the first six
years along with the estimated cost of the development.
As
you will see this development program is a significant expense to the Port and
to the FAA through their entitlement program.
The local expense for the program is over one million dollars plus
private expense that exceeds the local and federal costs. Estimates for future years are included as
well.
Staff
suggests the Port Commission dedicate a significant amount of time to study
Working Paper #4 and then set aside time at the next Port Commission meeting to
discuss the plan and how it is best presented to the community.
b.
Our consultants for this project have set aside time sometime between February
14th – 16th to meet with the Port Commission, Airport Master Plan Advisory
Committee and citizens to review the plan and obtain public comment. This should be a discussion of the best time
to schedule this meeting and suggest ways citizens can best be involved in
providing meaningful comments.
Reference for Master Plan on-line:
http://www.bd-c.com/fridayharbormpdocs/ (then click on Friday Harbor
Airport Working Paper 4)
Agenda Item 6 B. Request to renew SSL lease
a.
Request
from Drew Schmidt
By: Tami Hayes, Marilyn O’Connor
Background: Drew Schmidt leases office space in Spring
Street landing. The lease comes due on February
1st, 2006. Drew
owns and operates Victoria San Juan Cruises which, during the summer provides
passenger service from Bellingham to Friday Harbor along with a whale
watch trip. Drew also rents commercial
moorage at Spring Street Landing.
Drew has never occupied
the office but sublets the space to Charters Northwest which sells tickets for
the cruises. The owners of Charters NW
and Drew Schmidt contend that they operate a joint business practice although
there is not ownership between the two businesses that we know of. Victoria San Juan Cruises have been excellent
customers and have always kept their accounts current. The only problem has been with signage
because both businesses operating out of the office want to display signs.
The issue that needs
review is whether the Port should continue to rent to a company that does not
occupy or use the space it rents. Having
a sub lessee in rental space always leaves opening for confusion over who has
the ability to ask for changes and make alterations to the conditions of the
lease.
Discussion: Staff preference is to have leases written to
the business which occupies the rental space.
Agenda Item 6 C. Discussion of Port Commission Planning
Retreat
a. Discussion of time and format
By: Steve Simpson
Background: Staff encourages the Port Commission to take some extra time to have a
Commission planning retreat before the end of February. Now that the make-up of the Commission has
changed it is very helpful for staff to review current Port projects and have
the Commission comment on their preferences on what to emphasize and how to
carry out different projects.
This would be a good time to review the
Commission By-Laws and Delegation of Authority resolution and discuss changes
that may be needed in these documents.
Also important to this discussion is
reviewing the Port’s mission to the community and talking about how best to
accomplish it.
The Commission may want to invite
representatives from other boards or groups to meet with the Commission at the
retreat.
Staff needs to know what would be a good date
for such a meeting and suggestions for an agenda.
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